Managing Director Shelley Satonin-Hershkovits has published a new blog postingthat places emphasis on the nurturing process of learning provided by the Frank Hamilton School – it really is a wonderful sight to behold witnessing people of varying skill levels coming together for a harmonious jam where one can just play what is natural in the moment. It is this sort of environment that can be so welcoming to an individual (take me, for instance!) who has never played before or hasn’t played in 20 years and encouraging towards continuing beyond each session and Second Half to enjoy his/her instrument(s) of choice.

Come Play With Usand see what it’s all about. You’ll be glad you did! The new term begins Tuesday, March 7 & Wednesday, March 8.

Happy New Year everyone! I hope that whether you endured or enjoyed the holiday season, you are happy to be in a new year, and 2017 promises to bring some goodness to our collective soul when we most need it. THANK YOU to those of you who made it out to the inaugural Hamilton Hoopla for the Frank Hamilton School and the 6th Annual Atlanta Holiday Hootenanny for Atlanta Habitat! So many wonderful moments scattered through both performances with lasting memories to carry you into the new year!

Sat Jan 14 ~ Frank Hamilton School Presents Barry Waldrep & Kelli Johnsonat the Red Light Café. Advance Tickets $15/$18 Door, Showtime 9 PM/Doors 8 PM. Barry Waldrep is one of the finest guitarists and instrumentalists around and we are grateful to have him perform as part of the Concert Series! Combined with Barry’s prowess as a master multi-instrumentalist is Kelli Johnson’s ability as a songwriter who commands authority in her writing. Smart and charming, she captivates her audience with raw honesty and talent. Deeply rooted in Bluegrass, Country, and Americana music, Kelli has an innate ability to produce fresh music that defies genre boundaries. Check out the beautiful music below as captured on Music City Roots in November. Y’all this is going to be a special evening.

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Winter Term classes begin Tuesday & Wednesday, January 10-11, at Oakhurst Baptist Church in Decatur! Treat yourself right and check out what is going on, as the Frank Hamilton School has added a second evening of offerings for each Wednesday evening during the term as well. For more information click on the picture above or click here! C

THANK YOU from the bottom of the collective heart that includes Atlanta Habitat for Humanity, the Frank Hamilton School, and me, for being a part of the holiday music season. Both The Hamilton Hoopla and the 6th Annual Atlanta Holiday Hootenanny were stellar events, and the musicians who gave of their time and energy for great causes really deserve a loud shout out for participating! Despite all the craziness going on in the world, I am so grateful to be a part of a whole that is so much greater than political/religious/racial beliefs & controversies and provides an outlet for everyone through music and community. Music is a unifying force for all of us. TDawg Presents will return in 2017 with Jerry Day ATL in either late July or early August, perhaps a random event thrown in there somewhere, and of course, the 7th Annual Atlanta Holiday Hootenanny next December!

Exciting times are to come in 2017 for The Frank Hamilton School, as we add additional days for classes, more workshops, and of course more shows as part of the ongoing Frank Hamilton School Concert Series. We will be expanding our reach to venues around the greater Atlanta area, and look for us to be involved again in community events! We are already on board for the Atlanta Dogwood Festival in April and look forward to returning to other festivals while creating some new paths as well.

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Upcoming concerts in January! The Frank Hamilton School presents two distinctly different shows in the month of January to get you started in the new year, SAT January 7 and SAT January 14.

Dusty Roadsis a high-energy Georgia-grown Americana band with influences spanning the legends of country and bluegrass music, such as Merle Haggard, Flatt & Scruggs, Willie Nelson, Buck Owens, and Bill Monroe. You can also expect sprinklings of songs and sounds of the great writers and musicians from across the globe and halls of time, like Django Reinhardt, Duke Ellington, and Irving Berlin. “Come take a trip, down that long, dusty road!”

CJ Jones & The Spirit Bones is an eclectic outfit out of the Commander Cody textbook of music. You’ll be rockin’ and hoppin’ to their infectious Americana sound that tells the story of the Odyssey of Cledus Jeremiah Jones!

Barry Waldrep is a Georgia based Bluegrass, Jam Band, Americana instrumentalist, songwriter and composer extraordinaire. Waldrep and another music partner formed the very successful bluegrass/jam band Rollin’ in the Hay in July 1993, touring the Jam Band circuit of festivals and college campuses across the country until May 2009. Rollin’ in the Hay produced 7 CDs and performed over 300 dates per year for 16 years.

His partner, Kelli Johnson, leans on musical influences such as Allison Krauss, Dolly Parton and Rhonda Vincent and has always been inspired by the pure melodies and lyrics found in classic artistry. There’s no question that Kelli commands authority in her writing. Smart and charming, she captivates her audience with raw honesty and talent. Deeply rooted in Bluegrass, Country, and Americana music, Kelli has an innate ability to produce fresh music that defies genre boundaries.